Which 12 gauge shotgun chokes would you choose for hunting quail, geese, deer? If you only had 3 choices to cover the most game what would you choose? Would you go with extended chokes? Which brand? Thanks!
The standard choke tubes that come with most modern shotguns (that are threaded for chokes) covers a LOT of game hunting.
IC: close hunting for quail, rabbits
MOD: dove, pheasant, squirrel and (If rated for steel)waterfowl with steel shot.
Full: Turkey with #5 lead shot
For deer, there are two different slug technologies: Forster style slugs with the most open choke you have; or saboted slugs with rifled barrels or rifled choke tubes. There is little advantage to buying the expensive saboted slugs and firing them through a smoothbore.
For buckshot, a modified smoothbore is fine.
There are some very expensive specialty chokes, such as extended super chokes for turkey, whose advantage can be overcome simply by getting a few yards closer to the game. One landowner back in the Mississippi bottoms got his turkey every year with a .410 shotgun 3" #6 load from his favorite blind about 10 yds from a major turkey trail.
Hope this general information is useful.
Here's links to more info:
http://support.remington.com/General_Information/What_loads_are_best_with_what_choke_tubes?
http://support.remington.com/General_Information/Guide_to_Shotguns_and_Shotshell_Ammunition
IC: close hunting for quail, rabbits
MOD: dove, pheasant, squirrel and (If rated for steel)waterfowl with steel shot.
Full: Turkey with #5 lead shot
For deer, there are two different slug technologies: Forster style slugs with the most open choke you have; or saboted slugs with rifled barrels or rifled choke tubes. There is little advantage to buying the expensive saboted slugs and firing them through a smoothbore.
For buckshot, a modified smoothbore is fine.
There are some very expensive specialty chokes, such as extended super chokes for turkey, whose advantage can be overcome simply by getting a few yards closer to the game. One landowner back in the Mississippi bottoms got his turkey every year with a .410 shotgun 3" #6 load from his favorite blind about 10 yds from a major turkey trail.
Hope this general information is useful.
Here's links to more info:
http://support.remington.com/General_Information/What_loads_are_best_with_what_choke_tubes?
http://support.remington.com/General_Information/Guide_to_Shotguns_and_Shotshell_Ammunition
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Thanks Rod Snell. I will check out the links as well...
you should choose your choke based on the distance you are shooting your object.
optimal pattern distance - at what distance will the shot spread to the biggest pattern without any major holes in the patten.
skeet - approx 22 yards
improved cylinder - around 25-30 yards
modified - around 30-35 yards
full - around 35-40 yards.
So the choke you choose is not dependent upon the species you are hunting but the average distance at which you will be shooting them.
So for dove, you might be shooting them at 20 or 30 or 40 yards depending on where you are sitting and where the dove are flying. 20 yards, use improved cylinder, 30 yards, improved cylinder to modified, at 40 yards a improved modified to full.
for quail over a pointing dog, you might shoot 15 yards to 25 yards, so a skeet or improved cylinder choke. if walking up quail your average distance shot might be 35 yards, so use modified.
the best thing to do is to take your gun and your chokes and shoot at a large paper target, solid color, at 20, 30, and 40 yards to see how your chokes spread out.
when i go dove or pheasant hunting i will have a choke in the gun and carry an extra so i will have it covered if the birds are flying much further from me that i have covered with the choke in the gun.
an extended choke does not change the choke's spreading out of the lead pattern or increase the distance. an extended choke vs. a flush choke does two things. the choke indicator is printed on the extended portion so you can easily see which choke you have in your gun and you can usually install or remove them with the knerled extended portion with your hand without using a choke tool.
a flush choke and extended choke of the same choke, like modified, will produce the exact pattern at a given distance using the same shells, shot size, load, etc.
if i remember right, the choke is determined by the amount of lead per the lead load that is inside a 30" circle at 40 yards. like 70% of the lead is inside the circle, it is a full choke. these are not exact numbers but an example of how they determine choke.
for decades improved cylinder, modified, and full brought home a lot of game.
the cokes that comes with your gun should cover it. if i had to choose three, i would choose improved cylinder, modified, and full.
I can show you all of this is you like.
optimal pattern distance - at what distance will the shot spread to the biggest pattern without any major holes in the patten.
skeet - approx 22 yards
improved cylinder - around 25-30 yards
modified - around 30-35 yards
full - around 35-40 yards.
So the choke you choose is not dependent upon the species you are hunting but the average distance at which you will be shooting them.
So for dove, you might be shooting them at 20 or 30 or 40 yards depending on where you are sitting and where the dove are flying. 20 yards, use improved cylinder, 30 yards, improved cylinder to modified, at 40 yards a improved modified to full.
for quail over a pointing dog, you might shoot 15 yards to 25 yards, so a skeet or improved cylinder choke. if walking up quail your average distance shot might be 35 yards, so use modified.
the best thing to do is to take your gun and your chokes and shoot at a large paper target, solid color, at 20, 30, and 40 yards to see how your chokes spread out.
when i go dove or pheasant hunting i will have a choke in the gun and carry an extra so i will have it covered if the birds are flying much further from me that i have covered with the choke in the gun.
an extended choke does not change the choke's spreading out of the lead pattern or increase the distance. an extended choke vs. a flush choke does two things. the choke indicator is printed on the extended portion so you can easily see which choke you have in your gun and you can usually install or remove them with the knerled extended portion with your hand without using a choke tool.
a flush choke and extended choke of the same choke, like modified, will produce the exact pattern at a given distance using the same shells, shot size, load, etc.
if i remember right, the choke is determined by the amount of lead per the lead load that is inside a 30" circle at 40 yards. like 70% of the lead is inside the circle, it is a full choke. these are not exact numbers but an example of how they determine choke.
for decades improved cylinder, modified, and full brought home a lot of game.
the cokes that comes with your gun should cover it. if i had to choose three, i would choose improved cylinder, modified, and full.
I can show you all of this is you like.
Light modified seems to be a good general use/multi purpose choke for me.
I have two extended chokes in my O/U that I do all of my hunting with except for doves.......and they're both modified. From cranes, turkeys, geese, ducks and pheasant. I might as well have them welded in 
For dove and skeet in my Beretta A400Xcel, I use skeet when shooting skeet and 5 Stand, and I/C for sporting clays. Rarely if ever shoot trap, and if just farting around from the 16y line, I'll still just shoot a skeet choke.
Like ProBusiness stated, go pattern them and see what they do on paper. I'm kind of in kinda of learning stage, with a sxs black powder 12g shotgun. Messing with different chokes(all three chokes seem to shoot the same pattern for whatever reason), different amounts of powder, shot, wads, etc. Skeet/dove loads seem to be simple, turkey and waterfowl loads maybe more in depth it seems.
For dove and skeet in my Beretta A400Xcel, I use skeet when shooting skeet and 5 Stand, and I/C for sporting clays. Rarely if ever shoot trap, and if just farting around from the 16y line, I'll still just shoot a skeet choke.Like ProBusiness stated, go pattern them and see what they do on paper. I'm kind of in kinda of learning stage, with a sxs black powder 12g shotgun. Messing with different chokes(all three chokes seem to shoot the same pattern for whatever reason), different amounts of powder, shot, wads, etc. Skeet/dove loads seem to be simple, turkey and waterfowl loads maybe more in depth it seems.
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Thanks for the feedback all. Im thinking Full, IC, Mod extended Carlson chokes.
I have two extended chokes in my O/U that I do all of my hunting with except for doves.......and they're both modified. From cranes, turkeys, geese, ducks and pheasant. I might as well have them welded in
Like ProBusiness stated, go pattern them and see what they do on paper. I'm kind of in kinda of learning stage, with a sxs black powder 12g shotgun. Messing with different chokes(all three chokes seem to shoot the same pattern for whatever reason), different amounts of powder, shot, wads, etc. Skeet/dove loads seem to be simple, turkey and waterfowl loads maybe more in depth it seems.
Okie I've got a theory bout black powder n chokes n loads. Lotsa ppl have same problem as you for bout same reason. Shoot a smooth bore fusil, trade gun or early fowler and the problem disappears. Why? What's difference between them and your SxS? The answer is chokes. Old timers used different combos to adjust the pattern. They could go from a very open pattern to very dense with the old fowlers, fusil and trade guns. IMO choking a muzzle loader shotgun defeats the versatility of the gun. Your SxS black powder shotgun and the problems your having is why modern shot shells came about.
But to the OP.....with exception of steel shot, a full choke is "the do all" choke. It covers all shotgun distances. Patterns are smaller and denser at closer ranges and you have to be a better shot but with practice that full choke can do what the others cant.
So what makes the difference in a fusil, trade gun or early fowler vs a smooth bore 12 ga with a cylinder bore choke?
At risk of derailing....the dbl barreled muzzle loading shotguns are/were just a poor transition from early fowlers/fusils/trade guns and modern cartridge shotguns.
Each muzzle loading shotgun manufacturer tried different bores, started evolving "chokes"......the much older fowlers, fusils, trade guns were made basically the same.....to use shot or ball interchangeably. This required a straight bore.
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